Backend Security Engineer – Remote Contract
Listing checked September 20, 2026 · pay as published by Micro1
Overview
This remote contractor role at micro1 puts your backend and security skills to work training next-generation AI systems. You will design realistic coding challenges that involve feature implementation and bug fixes, then build deterministic verifiers that accept valid solutions and reject everything else. The position is about 15 hours per week with a flexible schedule, including weekends if you prefer. No prior AI experience is needed. Your domain knowledge in Java, Python, Rust, or similar languages is what matters.
What You'll Do10
- 1Create coding tasks that mirror real-world backend problems, covering feature implementation and bug fixes.
- 2Write deterministic verifiers that pass reasonable valid solutions and fail all others.
- 3Review and refine tasks to ensure they are challenging and unambiguous.
- 4Apply secure coding practices when designing tasks and evaluating solutions.
- 5Perform code reviews to maintain high quality and consistency across tasks.
- 6Identify and resolve bugs and performance bottlenecks in task code.
- 7Refactor existing codebases to improve structure and maintainability.
- 8Implement complex features in large-scale applications as part of task creation.
- 9Conduct security-focused reviews, including vulnerability assessment and pentesting scenarios.
- 10Submit a minimum number of tasks each week to meet project requirements.
Requirements10
- 1Strong backend development experience in at least one of: Java, Node.js, Go, Rust, TypeScript, Python, or C++.
- 2Proven track record building scalable services and APIs.
- 3Comfort with debugging, performance tuning, and automated testing.
- 4Solid instincts for code review and providing constructive feedback.
- 5Background in cybersecurity or SecOps is a big plus, including secure coding, appsec, pentesting, vulnerability assessment, OWASP/CWE, or security-focused reviews.
- 6Experience with codebase refactoring and implementing complex features in large-scale applications.
- 7Strong understanding of algorithms, data structures, and core computer science concepts.
- 8Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and technical communication skills.
- 9Demonstrated success identifying and resolving software bugs and system bottlenecks.
- 10Ability to work independently and complete assessments without outside assistance.
Who Should Apply
This role suits backend engineers with a security mindset who enjoy crafting challenging coding problems and evaluating solutions. If you have hands-on experience with Java, Python, Rust, or similar languages and a background in pentesting or security audits, you will likely thrive here. The position is less suitable for those who prefer a fixed 9-to-5 schedule or need constant supervision. Candidates often get rejected when they rely on outside help during assessments or fail to show deep debugging and code review skills. A lack of concrete examples of scalable services or security work can also lower your fit score.
Salary Insight
Compensation ranges from $30 to $100 per hour, but pay is output-based: you earn per task that meets project specifications. The time to complete each task varies with your experience and workflow. Minimum submission requirements apply, and you must submit a minimum number of tasks per week.
Pay and demand for Software Engineering roles
AggregatedTypical pay
$70/hour
This role
$30–$100/hr
Most Software Engineering roles pay $50–$95 per hour. This role's pay falls inside that range.
Based on 193 similar roles that publish pay · 17 publish only a top rate; those count at the rate they gave
Rates shown per hour. Yearly and monthly pay converted; one-time fees and non-USD pay are not included.
- Live similar roles
- 242
- Listed in last 30 days
- 103
- Remote
- 93%
Hiring most right now: micro1 (107) · Neon (29) · Mercor (23)
Most requested skills · share of roles
- python23%
- JAVA17%
- Typescript16%
- javascript12%
Figures from Software Engineering roles live on NearSkill when this page loaded. A role can close before you apply, so check the listing itself.
Compare your resume against these rolesLocation
Compensation
$30–100/hr
Required Skills
Application Tip
When filling out the screening questions, highlight specific projects where you built scalable APIs or conducted security audits. Use exact terms like OWASP, CWE, or pentesting to show your domain knowledge. Quantify your impact, such as reducing vulnerabilities by a certain percentage or improving API response times, to stand out.
See NearSkill jobs more often in your search
Application & verification flow
1Instant rubric match
Your resume is scanned against this role’s requirements to check qualification fit.
2Screened before the employer sees it
Only profiles that clear screening are passed on.
3Outcome by email
We notify you at the address on your resume once the screening is reviewed.
Similar open positions
Explore active roles that match your skills and interests.
Micro1
VerifiedApplication Security Engineer - Remote Contract
This is a remote contractor role with micro1, roughly 15 hours a week, where you build coding challenges that teach AI models to handle real software work. You will design tasks around feature implementation, bug fixes, and deterministic verifiers that separate valid solutions from everything else. The schedule is fully flexible, including weekends, and no AI background is needed. Your security and backend experience is what drives the work.
Micro1
VerifiedSenior Software Engineer – Remote Contract
This remote contractor role at micro1 puts your backend engineering skills to work on training next-generation AI systems. You will design realistic coding challenges that involve feature implementation and bug fixes, then build deterministic verifiers that accept valid solutions and reject everything else. The schedule is flexible, you choose your hours and days, including weekends. No prior AI experience is needed. Your domain knowledge in languages like Python, Java, Rust, or TypeScript is what matters.
Micro1
VerifiedCyber Security Engineer - Remote Contract
micro1 is hiring Cyber Security Engineers to work on a customer project that trains next-generation AI systems. You will spend about 15 hours a week analyzing code, fixing bugs, and performing security audits across languages like Python3, Java, Rust, Go, C++, and TypeScript. The schedule is fully flexible, so you choose your own days and hours, including weekends. No AI background is needed. Your cybersecurity and coding expertise is what matters.
Micro1
VerifiedSenior Software Engineer – Remote Contract
micro1 is hiring Senior Software Engineers to help train next-generation AI systems. You will create Reinforcement Learning Environments that test an AI model's ability to solve complex software engineering problems, such as fixing code, building features, refactoring, and optimizing performance. Your work will directly shape how models learn and reason. This is a remote contractor role, about 15 hours per week, and no prior AI experience is needed. You will use your expertise in languages like Python3, Java, Rust, Go, C++, or TypeScript to produce high-quality, real-world input.
Micro1
VerifiedOpen Source Software Engineer - Remote Contract
micro1 seeks a Software Engineer to work on open source contributions for a customer project that trains next-generation AI systems. You will write code in Python3, Java, Rust, C++, and Typescript, fixing bugs, adding features, and refactoring legacy code. The role is fully remote and contractor-based. No AI background is needed; your coding expertise is what counts.
Micro1
VerifiedSenior Backend Engineer for RL Environments - Remote Contract
Senior Backend Engineer, contracting 20 hours per week, remote work for micro1. You’ll join a high‑level project to build and test Reinforcement Learning Environments used for AI model training and evaluation. Your backend and DevOps expertise will shape how models learn, reason, and perform under realistic cloud conditions. Prior AI experience isn’t required; deep domain knowledge in distributed systems matters most. The work centers on creating scalable, reproducible environments with deterministic tests and clear documentation, covering production‑grade cloud infrastructure, security, and recoverability. In short, you’ll craft complex testbeds that push AI systems to their limits using real‑world infrastructure patterns, with an emphasis on reproducibility and reliability.